The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-11-19

/ STATE SANITARY Observation-Disclosures
Observation-Disclosures Papers Read. &c
The State Sanitary Conference was held in Bal
timore on Wednesday and Thursday of this week
ana many subjects in which the people generally
are interested were discussed. Mr.. Henry c. Hal
iowweil, oil Montgomery county, presided
MORTALITY AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN &C.
Dr. jackson Piper, of Towsontown, president of
the State Board of Health, read an address. in
winch ne referred to the great mortality among
young children, and the efforts which are now
oeing made to diminish this. The medicine of
.ne future VIII be for the prevention, as we'll as
the cure, of disease. The State Board of Health
"c6emfist, whose duty it shall be to analyze all
waters, fluids, medicines, authorizations of food
and the like. Analysis of drinking water
begun about year ago on a limited scale and
have horne encouraging results. Towsontown,
Gainesville, Belair, Waverly and Hampden have
under contemplation and construction artesian
wells and natural flow. Hagerstown and Easton
can proudly point to happy results following the
introduction of pure water.
SCHOOL HYGIENE.
Professor James E. Green, of Towsontown, read
apapG upon school hygiene. The site of a school
house should be chosen with reference to sanitary
conditions. good elevation, good drinking water
and moderate amount of shade are requisite.
There should be 150 cubic feet of pure air to every
pupil There is no defect so general as this one,
er is fatigued and rendered irritable. The great
trouble to get good school-houses is the difficulty
to get sufficient appropriations. Public opinion
should be educated to demand school buildings
properly ventilated, properly warmed and prop
erly lighted
EFFECTS OF A CAMPAIGNING.
DR.. Charles A. Leas, of Glyndon reported the
general healthy location and surroundings of the
town. but stated that after the close of the camp
meetings at Emory Grove, the smell from the
refuse left, when it began to decay, became q nui
sance, which the State Board of Health had not
the power to remedy, and he thought the neces-
sary powers to meet such cases should be con-
ferred, or the Board abolished altogether.
DR.. Chancellor interrupted at this point to say
that Dr. Leas did unintentional injustice to the
State Board of Health by his statement. The
State Board of Health did have the necessary
power, and when properly applied to always re-
sponded.
PROTECTING THE GENERAL HEALTH.
DR.. Charles G. Hill, of Baltimore county, pre-
scented the outline of a project for the better pro-
lection of the health and life of the people of Mary
land, with the draft of law to regulate the prac-
tice of medicine in the state. He thought it time
when law, such is provided in other states,
for the protection of the people from charlatans
and quacks, should be passed. Maryland is about
the only state that does not contain such law,
and, in consequence, all such quacks and charla-
tans are unloaded upon it. The proposed law re-
quires people who wish to practice in the state to
secure certificates from the State Board of Health,
and REQUIRES them to hold diploma from repu-
table college.
SANITARY CONDITION OF SCHOOLS.
DIR. C. w. Chancellor read paper con the sani-
tary conditions and necessities of school life"
The school houses of to-day, he said, far from
being what they should be- frequently, large
numbers of children are huddled together in a
Close vitiated atmosphere. The house should
combine comfort and health, with beauty of design
as far as practicable. Many school-houses are
badly located. Neither body nor soul should be
subjected to deleterious surroundings. The stu
alton should be central, free from deleterious in
fuences it should be elevated with soil of gravel
or sand 1t should be exposed to sunlight. Phil
osophers and educators differ as to the time when
education should begin. 1t is now generally
agreed that the seventh year is about the proper
time to begin school life. Physiology also shows
that at the beginning of the eighth year the human
structure usually attains its permanent struc-
ture. Before that age much can be taught at
home and in the kindergarten. He referred to the
evils of the examining system, and the evils of de-
tanning children in schools for long time. Six
hours was too much for one days study. Two
hours in the morning and one hour in the after
noon are as much as children of twelve years or
under should be subjected to. He spoke of the
progress made by his own two children, now twelve
two hours daily for five days in the week under
private tutorage. They are now well up in geog-
raphy, history and arithmetic, speak fuenty
French and German, have some knowledge of Ital-
ian, and are learning to translate Latin and Greek
He referred to the disadvantages of causing a
child to worry over his lessons, to write out long
sentences in history geography or to stick close
to his benches. There should be an inte:mission
between lessons. The weekly vacation should be
in fha mil Ia of wa than
day, which is followed by another day of rest
Examinations should be held in the beginning,
rather than the end, of the scholastic yeGr, when
they are overweight and nervous. Examina-
tions should be held quarterly, or even monthly.
The following propositions were then submitted
be called to the necessity of modifying the present
system in our schools so that it shall conform to
hygienic laws and the requirements of the physi-
cal developments of the pupil.
2. That boarding schools and colleges should be
established in the country; that in oil schools
large open space ought to be reserved for recrea-
ton that the cass-rooms should be improved as
to space, light and air.
3. That the course of study should be simpli-
fed, and the time allotted for play and sleep should
be heightened for young children.
4. That for all pupils, the time devoted to study
and in the class ooms-that is to say, the time
during which the pupils are seated-shoud be re-
duced, and the time for recreation and exercise
proportionately increased.
5. That it is necessary to submit all the pupils
to daily exercise in physical training adapted to
their age-such as walking, running, jumping,
calisthenics and gymnastics, fencing and other
kinds of sport.
THURSDAYS SESSION.
On Thursday Dr. Piper read a paper on "Pol-
luted Water Supplies, and their effect upon Public
Health" He referred to the analyses of the water
from the various parts of the state, showing how
disease may be communicated in this way. An
epidemic in Elkton was found to proceed from the
polluted water drunk by the COWS, communicating
the milk which was used by the inhabitants. The
principal causes of disease are the drainage from
privy wells, cess pools and stables into the drink
ing water. These are the chief causes for the
prevalence of typhoid fever in the counties of the
state. DR.. Piper gave accounts of analyses made
of water, that in Hampton, where typhoid and
other diseases prevalent, being shown to be
especially polluted with sewerage and refuse matter
of various kinds. The Waverly water is also bad.
The way to correct these evils is to close the wells
and construct artesian wells. The water closets
ought to be elevated above the earth's surface and
proper boxes used.
DR.. Charles A. Leas granted five minutes to
explain his views upon the draft of bill offered
Wednesday by DR.. Grimes to create board of
health for the belt in Baltimore county. DR.. Leas
stated that the bill proposed to take the expense
of executing the measure, which would be proba-
bly, about 500, 900 yearly, from the common treas
ury of Baltimore county, whilst all the benefits are
to 60 to the people of the belt. DR.. Leas pro-
tested against burdening the people of the county
outside of the belt for a measure in which they
had no interest. DIR. Leas said the property of
the belt should be made to bear the entire expense
of such measure, which is good one.
DR.. Chancellor referred to the objection made by
DR.. Leas to the bill submitted for better sanitary
system of the Belt but stated that it must not be
forgotten that the Belt pays twothirds ofthe taxes
of the county, if not MORE He moved that the
passage of sufficient health laws for the Belt be
commended to the next Legislature.
A Proposed New Road System.-At a re-
cent meeting of the Deer Creek Farmers Club the
principal discussion was upon new system of
providing for the construction and repair of public
roads. The new plan does not take the work of
repairing the roads out of the hands of farmers
and tax payers but provides that the work shall
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